Car overheating? Then one (or more) of these could be the source of your problem:

Your car’s water pump may not be doing its work well. How do you know if this happens? If you are observant, you’d notice that there is a strong coolant odor while driving and there would also be small spots of coolant under the car. If the damage is worse, you’ d hear a tinny screeching noise and a very telling leak from the front of the pump or under the car.

The hose or the fan belt is broken. Hoses and fan belts do wear out and break and once they do, coolant will not be circulated through the engine which will then lead to overheating.

The fan is broken. In time, the fan motor can cake up in grime and dust and eventually conk out. Sometimes, this could also plainly be an electrical fault. Have your car checked immediately if your fans don’t come on at the specified operating temperature.

Not enough engine oil. You might be running low on lube. Increased friction will cause your temperature to spike up. Check your engine oil level via the dipstick to check if your engine oil level is low. If you’re running low, then you might have to take it to a mechanic to check for leaks in your engine.

Low on engine coolant. If your radiator coolant level go down, then it’s might be a sign that there’s a leak in your system. This could be anywhere in the cooling system and with cars being complicated nowadays, there are a lot of things to check.

Another sign is when you get an alarming amount of white smoke coming out of your exhaust. This might mean that the head gasket could be malfunctioning, if not broken. The head gasket is the thing that seals the cylinder head to the engine block. It also seals the coolant passages.

Lastly, make sure that your radiator cap holds 8-12 PSI (or the recommended pressure as stated by your car’s specifications. Read the f*#$#@ manual. :p). Radiator caps with less pressure could overheat on hot days since the system is not pressurized.